novel

novel · adjective¹

1. Latin · derived fromnovellus“new, fresh, young, modern”
2. Old French · derived fromnovel“new, fresh, recent, recently made or done, strange, rare”
3. Middle English · inherited fromnovel
4. English todaynovel

From Middle English novel, from Old French novel (“new, fresh, recent, recently made or done, strange, rare”) (modern nouvel, nouveau), from Latin novellus (“new, fresh, young, modern”), diminutive of novus (“new”). Doublet of nouveau.

novel · noun²

1. Proto-Indo-European*nu
2. Proto-Indo-European*néwos
3. Proto-Italic*nowos
4. Latinnovus
5. Latinnovellus
6. Vulgar Latin*novella
7. Italiannovella
8. English todaynovel

Borrowed from Italian novella, from Latin novella, feminine of novellus. Doublet of novella.

novel · noun³

1. Latin · derived fromnovella
2. Old French · derived fromnovelle
3. Middle English · inherited fromnovel
4. English todaynovel

From Middle English novel, from Old French novelle, from Latin novella, feminine of novellus.

novel · noun⁴

1. Latin · borrowed fromnovella
2. English todaynovel

Borrowed from Latin novella, feminine of novellus.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 17th c. A work of prose fiction, longer than a novella.
• from 16th c. A fable; a short tale, especially one of many making up a larger work.
• 15th–18th c. A novelty; something new.
• from 17th c. A new legal constitution.